The invention relates to a removable or hinged component for covering apertures in the fuselage of an aircraft, e.g. covering or service ports for aggregates such as an auxiliary gas turbine or air-conditioning plant. In the case of failures and servicing of the aggregates, the covering must be capable of rapid removal. This involves usually self-supporting shells of large surface area which are fitted to the fuselage at only a few localities (e.g. hinges) and which are locked to one another or to the fuselage by fast-acting fasteners. These components are at present made of aluminium having a wall thickness of a few millimeters serving as outer layer and numerous reinforcement ribs for accommodating the closure forces, forces arising from the aerodynamic resistance of the cladding and of pressures resulting from malfunction of the installed aggregates (fire, explosion). On occasion composite materials comprising a light core and fibrous webs have also been employed. In order to save weight, the aluminium skin is of reduced wall thickness in localities of reduced load. For that purpose chemical etching is employed or one sheet is adhesively bonded onto a further sheet having cut-away regions.